Context: Seven people died in Baghpat and Meerut in 24 hours after drinking spurious liquor.
Analysis
- ‘Hooch’ is a term used for spurious alcoholic preparations.
- Spurious liquors include:
- illicit liquor (un-authorized preparation, not fit for human consumption and not complying with the BIS standards) and
- denatured alcohol (prepared for industrial uses and is rendered entirely unfit for human consumption by adding denaturants).
- Methyl alcohol (methanol) is a commonly used adulterant because of its appearance and taste similar to ethyl alcohol and its easy availability.
- On consumption, methanol is changed into formic acid inside the body and adversely affects various organ systems.
- In cases of ‘hooch’ tragedy, toxicity often comes from drinking methanol, which results in blindness, tissue damage or death.
- Delay in providing antidote (ethyl alcohol) at the initial stage leads to more casualties.
- Ethyl alcohol, widely known as ethanol, grain alcohol or drinking alcohol, is found in alcoholic beverages.
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